Prey
by Judoka
Summary: Tony Dracon is out of jail and is returning to his criminal activities. But one more pair of eyes has spotted him, and the owner wears a skull on his chest.
1. All The King's Men

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this story, as much as I'd like to.

Loosely based on the protection episode of Gargoyles, but very loosely.

Please R&R.

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**PREY**

Chapter 1: All The King's Men

Frank Castle is a man of routine. He exercises every day and makes sure he isn't sloppy. Calisthenics, striking drills, grappling drills, armed fighting, weapon and explosives training, weight-lifting; all are a part of his 6-day-a-week routine. It is boring for sure, when you do it every day. But a man who declared war on crime and is hunting criminals like animals cannot afford to be careless and sloppy. Every time he exercises he has danger in his mind, worst possible scenarios and escapes from them.

After training he took a shower, and switched on the TV in one of his safe-houses. There was a news report on a bombing of a local store. The owners were middle aged pair Art and Lois, and the reporter asked Art the following question: "Sir, do you have any idea who might have done this to your restaurant?"

"Oh yeah, I know exactly-" Art started the sentence, but was quickly stopped by his wife. "No he doesn't, he doesn't know anything." They both frowned.

"Yeah, well, it was probably an accident," Art reluctantly replied.

_You DO know_, Frank thought.

The reporter continued, "Unsurprisingly, witnesses seem afraid to come forward. But this new bombing has fueled police speculation that mob boss Anthony Dracon is tightening his grip on the protection racket in this area."

Frank picked up the phone and called his most beloved number: Microchip.

"Hello."

"Chip, it's me. I need information on Anthony Dracon."

"I guess you saw the news. I'll fax it to you tonight."

"Thanks."

Frank has a cold, monotonous way of speaking. His world is poor with emotions, ever since he became a vigilante and his associates got used to it. He rarely said more than necessary, and had a very callous approach to people. He got the papers on Dracon and started slowly and methodically composing the symphony of destruction. He will be dead, soon. It's just a matter of how. Phone tapping, house bugging and surveillance is the next thing to do. In these moments Frank felt like a cat assessing a mouse. He is the predator and the mighty criminals are his prey.

Days of surveillance followed. Phones of the closest associates are tapped; tracking devices have been put on their cars and Tony's. Dracon has one consigliore, a black man called Glasses. His most loyal henchman is Pal Joey. And, oh, BTW- he has a load of goons. He has been targeting local businesses and extorting money; very successfully one could say. But one thing was crucial for Frank and his mission. Dracon has been arrested for kidnapping a police officer, and he was released on bail. _Another victory for the justice system, _Frank thought. This is why he exists, to remedy the mistakes and fallacies of the law. To make sure no criminal goes unpunished. And the best way to ensure that is: DEATH. Execution, with extreme prejudice. No lawyer, no influence, no power raises one from his grave. Then, and only then, a criminal is harmless. No economy expenses for keeping them in prison, no relapse of crime activities on release.

Tonight he is following Pal Joey. Joey had a conversation with Dracon and got the instructions to eliminate a small law firm. Around 10PM Frank enters his garage, puts on a Kevlar suit, weapons and raincoat. He enters his Battlevan, the most sophisticated, high-tech armored van ever created.

"War Journal, new entry: Anthony Dracon, marked for punishment." Says Frank with a glimmer in his eye.

Joey stopped his car in front of the firm. Watching through his infra-red goggles, Frank notices a briefcase Joey is wearing and something else in his other hand. _Time to move,_ Frank thought as he exits the van and sneaks behind Joey watching him enter this alley. Joey opens the door and throws what seems to be a gas grenade in the shop. Frank runs and jumps on Joey from behind.

"Don't move!", says Frank as he takes out his pistol and shoves it into Joey's cheek.

"OK, OK calm down," says Joey. Frank shoves him into the wall headfirst. Joey groans in pain. Frank is standing straight, pointing his gun at Joey.

"I suspect that there's a bomb in a suitcase. Am I wrong?" asks Frank.

"Who da hell are you?"

Frank kicks him in the head. "I'm asking the questions! Answer and I'll be quick."

"Do you know who I am?" says Joey while lying on the ground, bloodied.

"I know that. Pal Joey, an enforcer for that skunk Dracon. And he sent you to destroy this place, I presume?"

"Ever heard of police brutality? I'll have your badge for this motherfucker!"

"What makes you think I'm a cop?" says Frank as he unbuttons his coat. The sight of the skull on Frank's chest visibly surprised Joey.

"You really think Dracon will let you get away with this? One of these suitcases will be visiting you shortly."

"Not if I visit Dracon first," says Frank as he cocks his pistol.

"Wait, what are you doing?" asks Joey, visibly scared.

"Do you have a family, Joey?" Frank asks in a sincere tone.

"No."

BANG! He shoots him in the head.

_Then nobody will miss you_. Frank took the suitcase, along with all the money from Joey, who is lying down with a bullet hole in his forehead. He went to his van, entered in the driver's seat and said: "War Journal, Pal Joey eliminated. Bomb is taken, civilians are safe."

Half an hour later police have secured the crime scene. Elisa Maza and Matt Bluestone arrive.

"OK, what do we have here?" Elisa asks the officer on the scene.

"Victim shot from point blank in the forehead. Wallet empty, which leads to robbery as a possible motive."

"Who is the victim?", Bluestone asks. They remove the sheet off the body. Elisa is shocked. Joey, one of Dracon's most trusted employees is shot from point blank. Not any petty robber could just come and kill Joey.

"Any weapons on him?" Elisa asks.

"No. But, there was an incident possibly related to this one. A gas grenade has been thrown in this firm's office, knocking out the workers," another officer replies.

"Interesting. Maybe it was Joey's target, and whoever killed him wanted to prevent it. Dracon probably had that firm on his racket list," Matt commented.

"Like a vigilante or another gang member? If so, where is the bomb?" asks Elisa.

"Good question," the officer comments.

"Whoever did this was a pro. This is Pal Joey who is lying there, not some thug who is easy to rob," Elisa said.

"Any eyewitnesses?" Matt asks the officer.

"An elderly guy from a neighboring building saw the murderer, he is talking to Officer Murdoch right there," says he pointing at the small man with a cap being interrogated. Elisa and Matt went over there introduced themselves, and asked the routine questions about whereabouts and time when he witnessed the event.

"So, Mr. Flanagan, you didn't actually see the face of the shooter?" Matt asked.

The man tried his best to remember. "No, mister. The street light was not bright enough to remember his face. He had dark hair and a raincoat, definitely. But for a second I managed to see him when he unbuttoned it. On his chest there was some sign. I think it was a skull."

"A skull?" Elisa looked puzzled.

"Yes, I believe so," said the old man "It was big, covering his entire torso."

"OK, thank you for your time."

"Let's go. The coroner might have something new for us later," said Elisa. They drive off.

An hour later, Dracon saw Joey's death on the news. He immediately called Glasses to come over. He was there in half an hour.

"There's no way this was an accident," Glasses remarked.

"You're right; somebody is trying to swim in my pool. But who? We have no competition on Manhattan," Dracon wondered.

"Not since the Kundalini family was erased. And they tried to pin that on us, too."

"Remind me, what did happen to them?"

"They were killed; every important member and some unimportant ones too. Most of them were killed in an explosion of a warehouse where they tried to make an arrangement with some local dealers," Glasses said.

"So, there might be a new player in town. Whoever he is, he'll pay dearly!" says Dracon, clenching his fist.

The next day, Joey's burial was held and Frank had plenty of opportunity to observe from the roof of a local tenement with his binoculars. He wanted to remember every important face of the Dracon gang. Later in his home he connected the faces with the dossiers Chip gave him.

As the night fell, Frank went to pick up a few groceries. A mundane job, but he had no maid. He never liked contact with people on an everyday basis. Anti-social behavior is something that comes with job. As he left the store he saw a woman with two kids walking on the pavement. Kids were very energetic; they kept asking questions about the silliest things. For a second he was entertained by that vision. But then, he remembered. The park, the blood, the bodies. He slowly sat down on a bench; with eyes closed and mouth half-open, trying to take a deep breath. _This is why you do, what you do. This is why you are, who you are. _His lips whispered a word:

"Punisher."

As he snapped out of these thoughts, he continued to his safe-house, one of a couple he had in New York. Suddenly a man jumped out of a bush with a knife.

"Stop, give me all your money!" a man said not too loudly since he was afraid someone might hear them.

This was a first for Frank. He was never robbed in his life. He held the groceries in one hand and said "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Give me all your money or I'll cut you open!" The young man raised his voice, clenched his teeth, and approached with the knife in his hand. Frank pulled out the gun from his coat with his right hand. "Don't move."

The robber had gone pale. "OK, just don't shoot!" He dropped the knife.

"Now, you were willing to carve me up for the money…" Frank sneered.

"I thought you were rich. I-I…"

"And you wanted to even the economic injustice of the world. Well unfortunately for you, you ran into the wrong guy."

"Let me go, I won't do it anymore, I promise!"

Frank cocked his gun. "I'm sure you won't. Because I won't give you the chance!" he said as he aimed at the robber. The robber started retreating in fear.

BANG! Frank shot him in the chest. He walked away, disgusted, while the motionless body stared with dead eyes into the sky. _These wretched animals! One by one, I will cut them down like trees. From the lowest street rat to the richest kingpin; for as long as I can, I will hunt them. _When he came into the house, he put the groceries in the fridge, and took a bottle of whiskey.

Elisa went to meet her friends the Gargoyles. After enjoying another scene of stone monsters coming alive for the night, she is approached by Broadway, who greeted her. "Hey, Elisa. I heard Pal Joey is dead. Is it true?"

"Yes, big guy."

"So, do you know who did it?"

"I wish I did. All I know is that this complicates the hunt for Dracon even more." Elisa frowned.

Goliath asked, "Is this connected with that protection racket I've heard of?"

"Maybe, a gas grenade was thrown in a nearby law firm before he was shot. Guys… I might have to go undercover, infiltrate their outfit."

Goliath growled. "That could be dangerous. Let us help!"

"No, you could compromise his arrest. We have to put him in jail permanently. It is the only way."

"Didn't you do it already, lass?" Hudson remarked. "And what happened after?"

"This time it will be different. We _will_ nail him. But I need you to promise me you won't interfere, deal?"

"I like your confidence," Brooklyn said, smirking.

Goliath was uneasy with this, but since it meant so much to Elisa he chose to fulfill her wish.

For the next couple of days, Dracon was laying low. But Elisa wasn't. She entered the extortion racket and ventured into Dracon's turf. Frank presumed that Tony was a bit apprehensive after Joey's murder, so he wasn't surprised by the drought of criminal activities. Elisa went undercover without her Boss's authorization. This could get her in deep trouble if it doesn't work.

During the following week, 3 of Dracon's enforcers turned up dead. New men were hard to recruit, due to the fear. Tony's activities were rapidly decreasing and money had stopped flowing. Elisa went to work as usual, fearful that she might be discovered by Captain Chavez and suspended. This was her chance to shine. Taking down Tony Dracon had been her desire for years. If she has to bend the rules a little, this time she will.

She and Bluestone were talking at the water cooler. Matt was conducting an operation for the police; he acts as a grocery clerk, trying to get Dracon's men recorded if they come to collect protection money. Several stores are being used as bait in this way.

"Anything new Matt, did anybody come to threaten?"

"One guy did, and he did mention Dracon, but there is something strange going on. That guy is now in the morgue."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and he is not alone. Several men, who we suspect were collecting money for Dracon, ended up dead."

Elisa was thinking, "Hmm, remember what we talked about when we saw Joey's body?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that too. Could be that some new gang is trying to eliminate Dracon…"

"That's one hell of a gang, if that's the case…but I checked the archives. No gang has the chest sign the old man described."

Matt started thinking out loud. "What if it's… one man?"

Elisa almost chuckled, "Come on, Matt. Who would be so dumb to go against Dracon single-handedly?"

"But this gang, if it is one, is very different. No fingerprints or any kind of clue after the hit. Too professional looking, in my opinion."

"Maybe, but the killer is not working alone. That's nonsense."

Meanwhile, Glasses has informed Dracon of Elisa's activities. Tony was really flustered about his henchman being killed, and it was beginning to show.

"You don't think Maza could be behind this? No, she is not…but, maybe…GODDAMMIT!" Dracon threw his glass out the window.

"I'm sick and tired of this! Someone is picking apart my outfit and we have no idea who! We have to see what Maza knows. Go and pay her a visit! And don't behave like a gentleman," said Dracon with a vile expression.

"Sure, Tony."

"You can use my limo."

He entered the limo and instructed the driver to go to the corner of 48th and Broadway. The driver replied: "Sure, boss."

It was a well-equipped limo with a bulletproof windows, even the glass that divides the front and back seat was bulletproof. At one point Glasses noticed that they were going the wrong way.

"Hey, I don't think that's…" and then to his horror, he realized, this was not Tony's driver. He panicked and tried to open the door, but the main lock was in driver's hands.

Frank finally spoke. "Just a slight detour, four-eyes."

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"I want a world peace, and a world free of scum and criminals," said Frank sarcastically.

"I think you are aiming too high. And I know you got the wrong man. Do you know who I am?"

"Oh yeah," Frank sneered. "A criminal and your history is similar to many of your kin. Had no basketball at age 10 so you decided to join a gang, which was followed by petty crime which has risen to big crime. Tony Dracon's consigliore; big time, indeed."

"You know who I work for. Then you must know what he will do to you if something happens to me."

Frank smirked. "The same thing he did to me when I killed Joey?"

Glasses was stunned. He quickly tried to regain his composure with a question, "So, you killed Joey? Who do you work for?"

"For Art and Lois. For those cops you kidnapped. For every man, woman, or child whose life you've destroyed!" said Frank with clenched teeth.

"You really think you can take down Dracon's outfit by yourself? You're insane!"

"Does the name Kundalini ring a bell?"

Glasses was stunned once again. He tried to speak, but his tongue wouldn't move. His mouth was wide open.

Frank noticed that and said "Yeah. I blew up that warehouse."

"How about the Santorino boss Vito from Brooklyn? Or that drug cartel from Queens? Or the drop in drug dealing activities in whole New York? Are you getting the picture now?"

The car stopped on a cliff outside of town. Frank turned around and Glasses was finally able to see the face of a determined and angry man. Frank exited the car and took out his gun. He unlocked the door and motioned Glasses to come out. He knew that he didn't have a gun. Glasses came out and noticed a skull sign on Frank's chest.

"Don't be stupid man," Glasses said nervously. "We can work something out, I'll pay you."

"Oh you will. With your life!" Frank cocks his pistol, and aims it.

Glasses is now petrified with fear. "Don't do it man…"

"How does it feel, you leech? How does it feel to be like all of those people whose life you have destroyed? ARE YOU HAVING FUN?"

Glasses is now on his knees. "I'll help you nail Dracon, I know everything he knows!"

"I'm not the police and I don't negotiate. I am your judge and jury, and I pronounce you guilty. And if you're guilty…"

BANG! Glasses falls down like a rag doll. "…you're dead!"

Frank took from his pocket a small microphone. "Battlevan, action 2, at present location."

He then opened the limo trunk, which had the original driver inside, also dead. He placed Glasses in the trunk and closed it. He entered the car, lowered the hand brake, exited and watched it slowly go over the edge. The Battlevan came soon.

Frank got behind the wheel. "War Journal, new entry. Glasses is dead."

As he was driving home the adrenaline was making him feel vibrant. Killing criminals has become a sort of a drug for him. And like every drug it needs regular use. But also, like every drug there are side-effects. With every man he kills he is less human and more machine. It's a joyless, hapless existence, driven by rage and obsession. Like an animal, it is instinct and training that keeps him going. Beyond reason, and perhaps, beyond sanity.


	2. In The Crosshairs

Chapter 2: In The Crosshairs 

The next day Elisa was woken up at 5 AM and ordered at the crime scene. Beneath the very same cliff from the following night a smashed car was making the landscape uglier than usual.

"Good morning, Matt," said Elisa, looking drowsy.

"I'm afraid it's not so good. Two bodies in the trunk." Matt motioned to the corpses in body bags.

Elisa went there and asked the guys to open them. Shock is the best word to describe her feelings. Glasses, the closest man to Dracon, is added to the victims list. This is serious. Who might be next, Tony himself? And who is responsible for this?

Matt interrupted her train of thoughts. "Captain wants to talk to you when we finish here."

Elisa drove to the station, still bewildered by what she saw. She knocked on the office door.

"Come in," Captain Chavez said.

"You wanted to see me, captain?"

"Yes Maza, sit down. Tell me, where were you last night?"

"Home," Elisa said.

"Are you sure you haven't been out?"

She has. She was extorting money from another customer of Tony's. Is Chavez onto something?

"Quite sure," she replied, remaining calm.

"Well, I've got a tip you weren't. In fact I got a tip that you were extorting money from a few businesses- and a quality source at that," Chavez said with a penetrating, suspicious gaze.

"Captain, you don't actually believe…"

"Never mind what I believe, Maza. This is a serious matter and I can't be dismissive. The IA investigation will solve this. In the meantime, I'll need your gun and badge. You're suspended from duty."

"You are very quick to put me on the shelf, based on one tip. I thought you trusted me." Maza tried to act surprised, but she expected something like this might happen.

"Don't make this even more difficult, Maza."

She handed the gun and badge and left.

Elisa was walking down the corridor and felt embarrassed about the recently developed situation. She thought she had it under control. She was ahead on points, but the referee had stopped the match. But maybe there is another way to finish this investigation. Even though Maza took pride in being an incorruptible and honest cop, she thought it was worth it to try and finish this thing. Even if it goes beyond the limitations of the law, putting Dracon away needed to be done. But she must find out who is going after Tony, because if he is killed, all her efforts would be in vain.

So she started examining archives extensively, going through the data for every gang in the state of New York, every possible lead she could find. After nearly eight hours of work, she stumbled upon on a report about the Kundalini massacre. The report mentioned a survivor of the explosion, who talked about a shadowy figure with a **skull sign** on his chest! She kept on reading, and stumbled on a urban legend of a vigilante called the Punisher, who was said to be responsible for about 100 deaths of various criminals from bottom feeders to the leaders.

_There could be some truth about the vigilante theory after all_, she thought.

She went out for some air, feeling lightheaded from all that research. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind and put in a sleeper hold. Very effective, especially on an already woozy person. A few seconds and she was unconscious. Some ten minutes later, she woke up in Tony Dracon's apartment.

"I should've guessed. Tony," she lightheartedly commented.

"This time I'm not in the mood for joking."

Dracon had a unsettling expression showing both fear and anger, as he stared at Elisa with eyes open wide. It was getting worse – he pulled a gun out.

"Now, you have to be truthful honey, for it may save you of experiencing not-so-quick death."

"You wouldn't dare kill a police officer Tony. You're not that stupid."

He cocks his pistol. " You have no idea what I'm ready to do, sugar. Now, explain something to me. I hear you've been trying to steer on the wrong side of the road- _my_ side! Then I sent my man Glasses to meet you last night, to talk like reasonable people. And voila – he ends up deep sea diving, without his oxygen tank. Now, tell me it wasn't you who did it, since I'm inclined to believe you don't have the guts to do it, bitch!" Tony finishes his monologue with a vicious scowl on his face and clenched teeth.

"You think I've killed Glasses? No, Tony. I haven't seen him at all last night. Even if he went to see me, we didn't meet. And I'd put that gun down if I were you, before you do something you don't want." Elisa spoke with a soothing tone, just as she was taught at the academy.

"YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Tony explodes with rage. At that moment, he heard a noise coming from one of the lower floors. Gunshots! Something was terribly wrong. A guard next to the door ran in.

"Mr. Dracon, somebody broke into the building! There is no response from the guards on the lower floors!"

As he was speaking, M16 bullets were echoing through the corridors. Frank was coming. The big game hunter is close to his catch. He didn't want to do it this way. Stealth is generally preferred, but he made a mistake when one of the guards tried to frisk him. He noticed the gun and soon was shot, but the other guard managed to run away and alert the other guards in the building. From then on there was no need for secrecy and Frank took his beloved M16. He will feel no regret for killing Tony's pawns. None of them was a working man worthy of sparing. As he was climbing the building his focus and intense blood thirst increased. _The beasts are afraid. __'__Cos they never faced a hunter like me._

Killing all the guards on the bottom floor, he proceeded to the upper floors on foot; he is a big target if he comes in the elevator. Five or six guys went down till he got to the top floor. Walking through the corridors he heard footsteps around the corner. He leaned on the wall with his back. Around the corner was a long corridor with the elevator in the center of it. He peeked and saw Tony holding Maza at gunpoint with his gorilla and moving to the elevator. He smiles. The guard anxiously stands near the elevator door, waiting for them to open. As they do, claymore mine is set off and the guard leaps back in the air, crashing on the ground and starts to groan. Frank left the cover and yelled: "ANTHONY DRACON, I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

Then he started shooting but Dracon quickly moved in the elevator with Elisa. The guard groaned and begged as Frank was running toward him. Just as Frank arrived to the elevator it started moving down.

"Please don't kill me, please!"

Frank looked at him, and after a second of thought, made mincemeat from his head with his rifle. Now he has to catch Dracon who is almost at the bottom floor. Frank noticed an open terrace through the door of Tony's apartment. He started running towards it, throwing away his rifle, and swan diving from the balcony. He opened his parachute as he saw Tony running out of the building. Tony left Elisa after hitting her in the head to make sure he wasn't followed, when he left the elevator. And suddenly, coming from above, Frank hit him with his legs as he was about to land, and knocked him off balance.

"Did you really think you could escape from me?" Frank growled after landing.

Tony couldn't believe it. He heard the myth of the Punisher, but he thought it was a fairy tale. But as he looked at Frank's skull sign, it was apparent that the joke was on him. Frank took out a gun and removed the parachute from his shoulders in a quick motion.

Heavily breathing Tony was butt scooting backwards. "Who are you?"

"I am your judge, jury- and executioner, skunk! Prepare for your punishment." Frank pointed his gun at Tony's head.

"DON'T MOVE!" Elisa yelled holding a gun. She picked it up from a fallen guard.

Frank turned his head around while his gun was still pointed at Tony, who was slowly backing away. Who is this girl, and why is she trying to stop him? Bewildered, Tony was backing up with his mouth open.

"Whoever you are, listen. This man is going to die today. I don't want you to join him so put your gun down!"

"I'm detective Elisa Maza of NYPD. And that man isn't going to be killed, but taken to jail! Put your weapon away!"

"And you think he will stay there, like the last time? No, I'm not gonna give him the same chance!"

BANG! Maza panicked, and shot Frank in the arm. He crumpled in pain, dropping his pistol. Dracon took the chance and ran away, now aware that Maza wouldn't shoot at him from that distance, because she might kill him. _Dammit! I__'__ve lost him again, _Maza thought.

On his knees, grunting and bleeding, Frank used his small microphone to call his Battlevan. Now he was turned a bit towards Elisa and his chest sign was visible. She could hardly believe that the myth was real; the Punisher exists.

"I couldn't believe that one man could do all of what they said. I just couldn't. But you are here, and even though you probably saved me from Tony, I have to arrest you," Maza said, her voice straining with conflict.

"Yeah, shoot me and let him run. Makes sense." Said Frank "Your way didn't work. My will end his crime rule. But you are too ambitious to realize it."

Frank had hit a nerve. As much as Elisa hated to admit it, the hunt for Dracon had been her obsession for a long time. His arrest could be her big break, her way to prove to everybody else- and to herself, that she is a good cop; that she does her job well.

"Your way is the way of anarchy and chaos. We can't have order without strict rule of law."

Frank's eyes gleamed with resentment. What about his family? Or any other poor soul the system had failed? He was wounded and his prey has escaped. He won't let himself be arrested now; he can hear the Battlevan coming.

Frank turned toward Elisa, holding his bloody hand "My way will be known soon among all of them. They will fear the repercussions. Some of them may even stop and become honest. I'm your fail-safe device, detective, whether you acknowledge it or not. You'll hear more of me, I promise."

The Battlevan was coming from the nearby street. Elisa looked and when she found out that there was no driver, her concentration fell down a bit. As the van approached, the door opened, and Frank jumped in.

Elisa was standing there, while the police sirens echoed in the distance. The first drops of rain echoed against the pavement. The dawn is approaching and another day is waiting for its turn. A new day for living and dying, with new enemies to fight. Or… perhaps friends?

**The End.**


End file.
